The value of South Australia’s mineral resource pro-duction expanded to about A$7.06 billion (US$5.9 billion) last year, up 2.3 percent compared with a year earlier, according to figures released by the South Australia Department for Energy and Mining.
This marked the second time the sector generated more than A$7 billion worth of value in a year. Last year was the second-highest in the sector’s history, preceded by 2014 in which the state’s mineral resource produc-tion was worth about A$7.31 billion, according to data obtained by local news site TheLeadSouthAustralia.com.
In 2020, copper production represented the largest share of the state’s mineral resources production, at about A$2.43 billion.
Figures from the South Australia Chamber of Mining and Energy (SACOME) indicate the state government obtained A$311 million in min-ing royalties for the 2019/20 financial year. This represented an increase from A$299 million in the previous financial year.